Loveless
by Mousy C
Summary: Long before Eloise became a cold blooded fighter. She wanted to become a savior. She wanted to make the world a better and safer place for everyone. But, sometimes things don't go as planned.
1. Eloise Fair

It was a one of those suspiciously sunny days. There was no cloud on the sky and the sun was proudly emitting a happy glow.

"This is it; my chance"

For Eloise Fair, that day represented more than a sunny day. It was the day she entered Shinra as a 3rd class SOLDIER. It was like a dream come true. She wasn't as excited to begin her new training but to see Zack.

Her eyes widened when she entered the Shinra building. It was different than anything she had seen. Except the obvious fact that it was really high, it also held many different floors. Her eyes held a mischievous glint. She wanted to figure what was happening behind every door in that building.

"I wonder if he'll be happy to have me around" She didn't announce her brother of her arrival. She wanted it to be a surprise; preferably a good one.

"You mean me?" Her eyes widened and she turned quickly to face Zack. He had a wide smile plastered on his face. "I'm happy you're here, Eloise"

"Really?" He nodded, his smile never leaving his face. His words meant a lot for her. She felt like she already accomplished half of her dream.

"And who is this young lady?" The new voice made the two siblings stop their conversation. Eloise was a little taken aback by the older man but Zack's happiness level just increased.

"Young lady?" She mumbled under her breath. That man was definitely different than the men she had met when she was still an officer. The level of diplomacy was rising conform to the level of your skills, probably. Besides that, he was handsome. He didn't look that old; he just looked like an older version of Zack.

"Angeal this is my sweet, dear, extraordinary, funny, happy, messy younger sister, Eloise" Zack responded in one breath. In Eloise's point of view, he didn't change at all. He was the same bubbly older brother she could always rely on. She smiled softly, knowing that she had someone to hold onto, again.

"And Elly he is my mentor, Angeal Hewley. He is a 1st class SOLDIER" Eloise's eyes traveled to Angeal's. Even though they both had blue eyes, his were infused with mako; a lot of it. But there was something different about him, something that didn't have anything to do with mako or his appearance. He was soft and kind. She could see that reflecting into his eyes. It gave her more confidence, actually.

"You are his mentor. Then, does that mean you have to put up with his antics?" Angeal nodded while giving a soft chuckle. "Does he follow you around like a lost puppy?" She wasn't joking even if she used a bemused tone. Zack was that kind of guy. If he held admiration for something or someone, he was transforming into a lost puppy. Angeal was really amused by her words. Zack stared shockingly at her while Angeal chuckled.

"Indeed, he does" She laughed whole heartedly at Zack's face expression. He couldn't believe his mentor! Wasn't he supposed to make his protégée look all cool and responsible in front of his family?

"So you are one of the legends, right? One of the three 1st class SOLDIERs" He nodded.

"I can't see how she is your sister. She is definitely more perceptive than you were" He looked surprised at his mentor and scoffed playfully. Eloise shook her head at Zack's childish behavior. It didn't look like he was the older one at all.

"Can you show me where the lounge is? I heard they have the newest technology in here" Zack started to laugh while Angeal looked a little taken aback. Even if she looked more mature than Zack, they were definitely a family.

They had to go back from where she first left. They walked through a lot of floors and even took the elevator until they entered the lounge room. There weren't many people lurching around but that didn't matter. What mattered was the room itself. It was wide and had even bigger windows. There was a huge TV in the room, suspended on the wall and a lot more than that. However, there were just two long couches.

"It's incredible" She was in awe. She already labeled that room as one of her favorite places in the building; not that she had seen it entirely. She walked towards the windows and gasped. The scenery was beautiful

"So this is where you disappeared, Angeal" Eloise turned her head quickly and stared into a beautiful pair of grey eyes. He was tall and had a different aura around him. He was like a statue: standing beautiful and proud among commoners. However, his eyes traveled to Zack first. "The puppy is with you, like always" It didn't sound as insulting as were the words. When he finally noticed her, he raised an eyebrow. "And who might you be?"

"You're Sephiroth" The man kept his expression. However, Eloise walked closer to him and stared. "You're a legend. When I was an officer, I heard stories about you" He chuckled, though it didn't sound like he was amused at all. Zack rolled his eyes and placed his hands on her shoulders. He knew she got intimidated by him. But, on the other side, she had just met Sephiroth! She didn't know how she should feel. Should she be scared or excited? He chuckled slightly. He could read her emotions by just looking into her eyes. It was quite easy, actually.

"Were the stories good or bad?" She blinked a few times and shrugged. When Zack felt her relax under his touch, he retracted his hands and walked beside Angeal. That left Eloise and Sephiroth, staring into each other's eyes.

"Should I lie or tell you the truth?" Surprisingly, Sephiroth started to laugh, though it didn't sound like laughter. It sounded like he was restraining himself a lot. He bent a little, to her level and responded.

"Aren't them all the same?" She was bit perplexed by his behavior but she didn't back off or get worked up. She only continued to stare into his grey eyes.

"No. In some stories you represent perfection, the hero that everyone wants to become. But in some stories, you represent the danger of perfection. When someone is too good, there are some risks" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to her face. That was one way of putting the problem. He could remark potential in her. She had the attitude of a fighter but he still didn't know how good she was in combat. However, he already decided what her role was going to be.

"I like you" Everyone seemed surprised by his statement.

"Aren't those big words for someone your status, Sephiroth? You can't take her as your protégée" The taller man glanced to his friend.

"Why not? You have your Fair puppy; can't I take his sister as mine?" Zack frowned. Angeal shook his head and walked in front of Sephiroth. That meant they were going to talk for a while about the pros and cons for that.

"You can" The two legends turned to the younger girl and waited for her to continue. "I want to become one of the best SOLDIERs. There is no better way than get trained by Sephiroth himself" Angeal looked all worried and Zack still had a frown on his face. Seeing how no one could see her point of view, she tried to be positive and smile. "I guess, from now on, I am Sephiroth's protégée" Somehow, that announcement made her feel like things were going to change a lot.


	2. Mysterious

Later that day, with the help of Zack, she found her room on the 25th floor. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was moderate. It looked like a 5 star hotel room. She was content with her new lifestyle. However, Zack was still worried.

"You know, if you want I can talk to Angeal and then maybe-" Eloise rolled her eyes and threw one of the smaller pillows at his face.

"It's fine. I want Sephiroth as my mentor. He is the best, right?" Zack nodded. "Then he will help me improve. I didn't enter SOLDIER just for fun, Zack. I want to do something meaningful. I want to help people and help construct a better world"

"Are you sure SOLDIER is the best place you can do that?" She nodded confidently.

"If it will make me stronger, then yes" She sighed and jumped on the bed. "In the end, what can go wrong?" Zack had a few ideas listed somewhere in a notebook.

That night, Eloise was so excited that she had to go to the bathroom on numerous times. It was around 4 in the morning when she decided she had enough and wanted to get some fresh air. Unfortunately, she didn't know any balcony or any other room, actually. The only place she could go to was the lounge. She walked groggily towards the elevator and waited patiently for it. While standing there, half asleep, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from down the hall. She was too tired to keep her guard up.

"And who might you be?" She groaned. She wasn't in the mood to talk. She just wanted to get a few hours of sleep in the lounge, with one window opened. However, the intruder had different plans. "Aren't you going to respond to my question, newbie?" She rolled her eyes and glanced at him over her shoulder. Her eyes widened. He was taller than her, he was handsome, he had red hair and he was carrying a book. But, what impressed Eloise were his eyes. His eyes were clear and beautiful.

"Eloise Fair. I am the new 3rd class SOLDIER" She mumbled loud enough for him to hear. She didn't want to wake anyone up. She didn't wan't any new intruders into her personal time. The man walked closer to her and stopped right beside her. He titled his head so that he could see her face better. He smirked and started to read from his book; out loud.

"Don't you know it's rude to stare?" He asked, though he wasn't even looking at her. His eyes were glued to the book. She didn't even realize she was staring until he told her.

"I am not interested in your book. Why don't you read for yourself, silently?" His face became blank. With slow moves, he placed the book into his jacket and continued to stare at the elevator. When it finally arrived on their floor, the two got in, in complete silence. That, until the man turned to her.

"Where does the newbie want to go at this hour?" His voice was deep and husky; manly. But, it had something special. Maybe it was the tone he was using but he sounded like a noble.

"The lounge" The man pushed the button for her level first. It wasn't that far; the lounge was only 5 levels below. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and inspected him. "Who are you?" The man chuckled. They arrived on the 20th level quickly. She exited the elevator but still turned to take a last look at the mysterious man.

"Why don't you find that out on your own, newbie?" He smirked devilishly right before the elevator doors closed. Unfortunately, she couldn't ask him anything anymore. But, a new day was coming and she had her own responsibilities to attend to.

The next morning was awful. Eloise woke up on the couch, in the lounge. Her hair was a mess and her face was swollen. She had halos because she couldn't sleep enough and her excitement died down fast. She glanced to the watch and realized she had to attend her new training session in 2 hours.

"You again" She was waiting for the elevator, like she did before. Somehow, the one who got out of it was the same guy as before. He didn't even glance at her and just passed her by. It was better like that, anyway.

She had to eat, get dressed, take a shower and do her morning routine. However, when she walked out of her room, she realized she didn't know where she was supposed to go. She went back to the lounge and started to look for a map or something helpful. Fortunately, Angeal was there. He smiled kindly at her and patted her head, like you do to a puppy. She shook his hand off and narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Careful, Angeal. This puppy may bite you" She rolled her eyes at the all too familiar voice. Angeal was a smart guy and he saw how she reacted.

"I'm not a puppy" She tried to re-arrange her hair. However, the man came closer and messed her hair again. He had a content smirk on his face. He was insufferable.

"No. You are the new source of entertainment" She glared at him and scoffed. She waved at Angeal and got out of there. She didn't want to stay around that redhead anymore. He was mean and annoying. It wasn't enough to be handsome, the personality was also very important; his personality sucked.

"I just have to find the training room and everything will be fine" It had been half an hour and she was in front of another elevator. She was late for her first training lesson as a SOLDIER and she knew that wouldn't look good in her file. She was slowly growing frustrated. "Come on, how hard can it be to find it? There has to be some noise coming from that room" Her patience was running low. That wasn't obvious on her face, but it was on her behavior; she was hitting the elevator button rapidly, hoping that it would come faster.

"Still didn't find it, hm?" That voice just made the whole situation worse. She didn't need to turn her head to know who was behind her.

"We should stop meeting at the elevator" She mumbled. The man chuckled and took his respective place next to her. It was the third time in a day and a half. Why couldn't she have met Zack or Angeal instead? Why him? Why the redhead?

"But then it will take away the mysterious theme of our story" She rolled her eyes.

"This is not a story. We're not living in a fairytale" She glanced at him and saw the book he was holding tightly on. "At least, I don't. You seem to be quite fond of that book" He raised an eyebrow and started to quote from some book.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess." She raised an eyebrow ad watched him silently. "We seek thus, and take to the sky" He stopped when the elevator doors opened and they both walked in. He pushed the button for the 10th floor and for the 30th floor.

"What is on the 10th floor?" She was genuinely curious.

"The training room for the 3st class SOLDIERs"

"Then what is on the 30th floor?" He smirked.

"The training room for the 1st and 2nd class SOLDIERS" She crossed her arms in front of her chest and pouted.

"So, that means Sephiroth will be there the whole day?" The man was curious how she knew Sephiroth. He was quite famous for his legendary fighting skills but she sounded like she had met him already. "Will he?" He nodded.

"Is there a reason for your question?" She nodded and smirked.

"Sephiroth is my mentor" For a moment, the redhead look like he didn't believe her. However, she didn't look like a liar to him. If she was the sister of Zack Fair, then she was a bad liar, liker her brother.

When the elevator arrived on the 10th floor, Eloise tried to walk out but someone stopped her. He pulled her back in and kept a strong grip on her arm until the doors closed and the elevator started to move again.

"What are you doing?" She hissed. Her frustration was already quite high and he wasn't helping at all.

"We're going to see just how good you are to have Sephiroth as your mentor" His eyes were bright and had a glint of mischievousness. That wasn't good for Eloise and she knew that from the first time she had met him. He was bad news.


	3. Fight

In the end, he took her to the 1st and 2nd class SOLDIERs training room, for real. Eloise was awed by it. It was bigger than any training room she had ever seen and it had a sophisticated atmosphere all around it. Thankfully, Sephiroth and Angeal were already there, waiting. They both looked worried and she knew exactly why.

"What is she doing here, Genesis?" So that was his name. The redhead let her arm go and she massaged it slowly. He held onto her tightly in case she wanted to run. Where did he think he was, in a drama?

However, Genesis smirked wickedly and walked towards Sephiroth.

"I heard she is your new protégée. Isn't that interesting?" He titled his head to the side. Sephiroth didn't look amused at all. His eyes traveled to Eloise's and she froze. Probably it wasn't a good idea to tell Genesis about that. But she felt like she needed to, at that time.

"That doesn't have anything to do with you. But yes, she is" She sighed and tried to loosen up a little. The atmosphere was so intense that she could see the electricity coming from their bodies.

"Did you see her fighting before, Sephiroth?" His eyes hardened. That was enough for Genesis. "Let's see that now" He glanced at her over his shoulder and smirked. She was in such big trouble.

Angeal got out a phone from his pocket and pushed a few buttons. The room changed gradually. It looked like they were somewhere on a conduct from the mako reactors.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. We seek thus, and take to the sky." Genesis started. It was the same line he used before.

Genesis was sitting on top of a large crate. Angeal was next to him, leaning against the same crate. Sephiroth was standing at the edge of the large cannon that all of them were on while Eloise was on the other side of Angeal. She didn't feel safe around Genesis.

Genesis started to read out loud from the same red book as before. When Sephiroth heard that line he smiled. Or at least, it looked like his lips were curved upwards. He turned around and walked over to the rest.

"Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest" Genesis continued. Sephiroth walked closer and stopped when he reached the three SOLDIERs.

"LOVELESS, Act 1" Eloise was a little surprised. She raised an eyebrow curiously. Genesis must have read it to them a lot if Sephiroth knew exactly what act is was.

Genesis smiled. He closed the book and put it back in his pocket.

"You remembered" He jumped down from the crate and stared intensely at Sephiroth.

"How can I not when you've beaten it into my head?" Sephiroth tapped his head with his finger twice, indicating just how annoying must have been. Suddenly, he grabbed his sword and held it to his side. Eloise was curious what was going to happen next. It looked like there was going to be a fight but she wasn't sure.

Genesis grabbed his sword and held up in front of his face. Angeal got on his feet as well and grabbed his sword out. Eloise didn't know what to do. She didn't have a sword, in the first place. She had to stay back and watch. She wasn't actually prepared for anything. She was supposed to be 20 floors below, not with the three legends.

"Don't take Sephiroth lightly," Angeal warned Genesis. But, from Eloise's point of view, it already looked really bad.

Genesis brought his sword down quickly and scoffed.

"Hmph, noted."

They both charged at Sephiroth. Eloise was perplexed by the whole sudden situation. Angeal got to him first and brought his sword down on him. Sephiroth pushed Angeal away and did the same with Genesis, but pushed him in the opposite direction.

Genesis recovered first and they clashed swords together then Sephiroth turned around and did the same with Angeal. He swung around in a circle and they both jumped back. Sephiroth stood in the middle glaring at both of them. Suddenly the whole fight became serious.

"Aren't you going to enter the fight, puppy?" Genesis was taunting her. She blinked rapidly and and didn't know what to do.

"I don't have a sword" Genesis scoffed. That wasn't a good reason for him. She felt offended. Her eyes traveled quickly over the whole surface and caught glance of a rod. It was as long or as good as a sword but at least it was something.

She tried to attack Sephiroth but unfortunately, he pushed her away rather easily. She had her own pride to fight for but he was really strong, too. Genesis was watching her. His eyes were pissing her off. He was judging her every move. She couldn't give up in front of him.

She charged again and again and their weapons clenched against each other. She narrowed her eyes when she saw him smirk proudly. That was one cocky behavior SOLDIERS had and her pride wasn't accepting it. She wanted respect, she was craving for it, and therefore she was going to fight for it.

She charged again and he pushed her with ease. She barely blocked his attack and kicked him. She swayed beyond him and kicked again. He turned around and swiped his sword quickly at her, taking her by surprise. He pushed her one more time, making her stumble.

Suddenly both Genesis and Angeal swiped their swords at him. Sephiroth held his swords up-and-down to block both of their attacks at the same time. He pushed them back and they stumbled but recovered quickly. Genesis and Sephiroth attacked each other and Angeal jumped in the middle. He brought his sword down to break them up. Genesis jumped over Angeal and spun in a circle but Sephiroth pushed him back, behind Angeal. Angeal charged at Sephiroth and they locked swords.

"Ha! Is that the best you can do?" Sephiroth grinned and pushed Angeal back. Eloise didn't really know what was going on. They didn't look as nice as they looked 24 hours prior to that fight.

"All hail Sephiroth, eh?" Angeal smiled. But Genesis wasn't playing around. She could see the hatred in his eyes. She wasn't even close to him but she could see it emitting from his body.

"Angeal, stay back." Genesis held out his arm in front of Angeal and lowered his head. "I'll take Sephiroth alone"

"Is he insane?" Elosie ran next to Angeal. _He was staring at Genesis like he was crazy._

_ "Genesis…" That was dangerous. But there was an ulterior motive to that fight, wasn't there? She could feel the annoyance radiating from Genesis. Was he jealous? _

Genesis held up his sword and ran his hand over it. Flames leaped from his red sword.

"The world needs a new hero" Was that what that fight was for? Being the new hero? That was so stupid. However, Sephiroth didn't look fazed at all.

"Hmph, come and try" Genesis lowered his sword.

"So smug. But for how long?"

He charged at him and brought his sword down but Sephiroth just jumped back and swung his sword at Genesis's head. He ducked and brought his sword down on Sephiroth's head but he held his sword up. The cannon gave away a little and Sephiroth sunk into it about an inch. Sephiroth grinned and Genesis laughed. Genesis did a back flip then ran at Sephiroth again. They clashed swords together multiple times until Sephiroth sent him sliding backwards. Genesis ran back at him. He was very persistent.

Sephiroth brought his sword under Genesis's and flung him into the air. Sephiroth jumped after him and they clashed swords together again. Genesis was slowly starting to lose focus and lose his guard; he nervously blocking Sephiroth's attacks. Sephiroth pushed him down and Genesis went hurtling back down to the ground. He growled and his hand started to glow yellow. That was something Eloise had never seen before, at anyone. The flames leaped from his hands and he threw ten fireballs at Sephiroth. Sephiroth dodged them all. Genesis threw more fireballs at him but he cut through them all. Genesis threw more and more fireballs and Sephiroth got covered in fire.

Genesis growled louder and started to form a giant fireball. Fortunately, Angeal intervened. He grabbed his arm.

"Stop! You'll destroy us all!" Genesis grabbed his face.

Eloise's eyes widened and she took a step back. She was getting scared. That was no good. Every time she got scared there were fireworks. She didn't want the fireworks to appear again. Not after the last time. She tried to control her shaking hand. She could already see the rod getting charged from her own energy.

"That's no way to talk to a hero!" Genesis blasted fire into his face and Angeal grunted and fell back down to the ground.

The redhead watched him fall. He looked back up when he heard an explosion. He gasped as a flash of blue light went flying his way. He cut it in half and Sephiroth sent three more. He cut those in half as well. One of the flashes of light hit the cannon and cut it in half. Genesis ran out of air and landed on the ground followed by an explosion of fire. He jumped back just in time to dodge it. Sephiroth landed on the half of the cannon that was slowly falling. Once he disappeared there was an explosion at the tip of the cannon and Sephiroth lunged at Genesis. Genesis barely blocked his quick attacks. Sephiroth was now frustrated and started to cut the cannon into pieces.

Eloise couldn't move. She was beyond shocked. What was going through his head?!

The pieces fell into the water below. They locked sword and Sephiroth pushed Genesis back. Genesis bounced on the cannon twice until he finally landed onto his feet and slid to a stop. Sephiroth jumped after him. He held his sword back and Genesis ran his hand over his sword, creating more flames. They clashed swords together, making an explosion of light. Sephiroth pushed Genesis back. He brought his sword back and they charged at each other.

She was struggling. The whole scenery was falling apart and her mentor was fighting like crazy with that annoying redhead. The adrenaline of only watching them fight was huge. She could feel the anger and annoyance in the air. She couldn't control the need to intervene anymore. The fireworks were invading her whole body. She was shaking and her iris started to dilate. A breeze blew her hair slightly while she closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes there was electricity flowing through them and her iris was white. She had to calm down, quickly.

Angeal jumped in-between the two SOLDIERs.

"Enough!" Genesis's sword hit Angeal's training sword and Sephiroth's sword hit the grip of Angeal's Buster Sword. He grunted at the impact and glared back at Sephiroth.

In utter silence, Eloise walked closer to them. She was like a cat. Her moves were so slick. Sephiroth glanced at her. She saw regret into his eyes. That wasn't how he wanted to start their mentor-protégée relationship.

Genesis growled.

"Out of my way!" Blue flames leaped from Genesis's left hand as he tried to punch Angeal. He missed and punched Angeal's sword instead, breaking it. One of the pieces cut into his shoulder. Genesis cried out in pain and stumbled back. He fell down to his knees and grabbed his shoulder.

"Genesis!" Angeal stood up and stared at him with a scared expression. The scene digitally melted away and red lights flashed all around. Genesis was still trying to catch his breath.

"Just a scrape" Eloise watched as he got on his feet, his hand still over his shoulder. "I'll be fine, don't worry" He picked up his sword but was still swaying from side to side. Eloise, Angeal and Sephiroth watched him walk to the door. He glanced at her over his shoulder and cringed. That wasn't exactly what he had in mind, either. She wasn't supposed to witness that.

"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return." She furrowed her eyebrows, completely lost. Genesis wasn't the only thing annoying her. The energy was still flowing through her body, making her mentally unstable

"I need to get it out somehow" She mumbled. Trying not to make it obvious, she said placed one hand over the back of her neck, right where the spine begins. She applied some pressure on it, trying to refrain the energy from getting out of control. She could already feel a huge headache coming over.

Angeal and Sephiroth turned their attention on her. She was seriously not supposed to be there. She was still a newbie, to everything.

"Are you alright?" Angeal asked softly. He tried to touch her but she electrocuted him. He took his hand back immediately. She wasn't able to surpass it for long. It had been already 10 minutes. That was already record time. She had to get the excess energy out of her body.

It took both legends by surprise. She screamed bloody murder and shot electricity from her body, everywhere. After it was over, she fainted.


	4. Electricity

It was dark and cold. She felt like she was all alone and her body was freezing. She knew she was unconscious but she couldn't open her eyes. The whole place she was in got enlightened by a sudden light. It looked heavenly, truthfully, but when the light came closer, she got electrocuted by it. That resulted in shock and, eventually, it forced her to wake up for real.

"Is she going to be alright?" She recognized Zack's voice but she couldn't see him. Her vision was all blurred. She was curious what happened after she fainted but that only caused a headache. She groaned and shifted on the bed. That drew attention.

"Zack," The overprotective brother frowned and leaned closer to her. "You're standing on my hand" She heard him gasp and jump up. That wasn't the only noise, though. There were more people, yet she wasn't able to recognize them. Her head only started to hurt more and her body was all tingly.

She tried to open her eyes again and focus on the bodies. It was hardly a success but it was better than before. She could see Zack and three different hairstyles.

"What happened?" Her voice was hoarse and she started to cough. Zack's frown didn't disappear. Instead, it just grew worse. He was dead worried for his sister. She knew what he was thinking about so she turned to someone more down to Earth.

"You fainted" Sephiroth's response was simple and sounded incredibly objective. Eloise rubbed her forehead and got more comfortable on the bed. She was in the hospital wing. It was too soon for that, yet there she was.

"Why are you here?" That question was directed towards Genesis, mostly. But, it was also addressed to Zack. She didn't want him near her when she was in such a complicated situation. She wanted independence and respect. Being in hospital wasn't helpful.

Her eyes traveled to Angeal and silently asked him to take Zack out. Thankfully, he understood her and dragged him in the hall. Sephiroth didn't budge from his place and neither did Genesis, who looked as pale as he did before she fainted.

"Are you going to explain to me what happened back in the training room?" Sephiroth was dead serious. There was no sign of worry on his face. When her eyes traveled to Genesis, Sephiroth realized that she wasn't going to speak until there was only the two of them. So, he expectantly started to stare at the redhead. Genesis scoffed and left the room, as well.

"I feel like I should explain it to you but you won't believe me" He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He only became more curious. She sighed. There was no way she could get away and lie to him. He was too smart. "It started a few months after I entered Shinra as an officer. The men were pretty rough on me and were usually making fun of my womanhood. It just came out of nowhere. I got mad once, really mad, and it just happened"

"What is it?" She bent her head and stared at her hands,

"Electricity or blue energy, maybe. I don't know. You are the first person whom I'm telling this"

"Did anything happen to you before?" Eloise rubbed her hands together nervously.

"After I had been accepted as an officer, I had to get a mako infusion. Every officer had to get it. But, my body refused it and I had to eliminate the substance from my body as fast as possible. I had an allergic reaction and I had to undergo a surgery. I think that was the moment I started to feel all tingly" Sephiroth's eyes only narrowed slightly. She swayed her hand in front of her face and concentrated. "I can't control it. It comes out in different situations. Sometimes I am frustrated, sometimes I'm sad and lonely. It doesn't have a pattern. That's why I'm always scared that I will kill someone unintentionally"

"Did you tell your doctor about it?" She shook her head.

"No. I hadn't seen Doctor Hollander in a few years. I was 14 years old when it started. I am young and I can't control my emotions very well. What will happen the next time I will have a break down? I don't want to be a murderer"

"You won't become a murderer. I will train you and teach you how to control the energy. You don't have to be scared, Eloise. As long as you want it, you can achieve the respect you crave so much" His tone didn't change throughout the whole sentence. His eyes didn't soften and he didn't look any less intimidating than before. But the words were enough to make Eloise feel safe. Maybe he was going to be the shield she needed.

"Oh, Sephiroth" The warrior was ready to walk into the hall when she called after him. "Please don't tell anyone about me. I don't want to be seen differently" He nodded and left.

The next morning, Eloise woke up in her own bed. She didn't like how uncomfortable was in the hospital and the room was too white. The headaches stopped, eventually, but she continued to feel weird. She stretched and looked around. It was barely 5 o'clock in the morning and outside was still dark. She made a few sandwiches and ate them quickly. At 6 o'clock sharp, she had training in a room she still hasn't found.

She was in the elevator when she tried to remember the floor she had to get to. Fortunately, there were two more 3rd class SOLDIERs who got on the elevator and they knew exactly where to go. The training went rather well. No one seemed to have realized that she missed the first session and the introduction. They weren't many, about 10 SOLDIERs and some of them looked like they needed some serious training. They didn't even have muscles. It was weird how quickly they advanced if they weren't even good in combat. She was somewhere in the middle, when it come to force. She had it but it was pretty obvious she was a teenage girl. She couldn't get into a fight against a man and expect to win. That was why she started to feel self conscious about Sephiroth as her mentor. He wasn't just a man, he was a legend. He wasn't going to go easy in combat and she started to get scared.

After training, everyone decided to go have lunch at the canteen. She met her collegues better and found out that most of them were in their early twenties. They were different than the officers. They were more open- minded and didn't care that she was neither young nor a girl. They welcomed her warmly and that made her happy.

"So you decided to become a SOLDIER because of your brother?" They were trying to get more information on her but she wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what to say to remain a mystery.

"You can say that, yes. I admire him for his stubbornness and it got him pretty far. But, after I had seen people getting hurt and die, I realized that I don't want to be only a puppet. I want to be able to fight back"

"But Shinra is the one who controls everything. Those people were hurt because of him. I know, because the turks came once to my town and set it on fire" The people around the table nodded.

"True. It happened in my village too. They came to tell us about an infection or something but it was all bullshit. A lot of people are forced to become officers so that Shinra won't be powerless" The guys were all getting into unimportant details about both the company and its business. They were SOLDIERs because they wanted to protect their loved ones and become powerful. They were selfish.

"Hey, Elly!" She heard Zack calling her name but she was too tired to move. It was around 4 in the afternoon when she finally got to lay down and relax. The lounge was full of people at that hour since the training sessions were finished. "Are you seriously going to ignore your older brother?"

"Yeah" She only rolled on her back and covered her eyes with her hand.

"How was training?" He was half amused half curious. She groaned and that summed it up quite perfectly. Zack understood her. "Are you ready for Sephiroth's training?" She groaned again and sat up. She leaned on her hands and kept a blank face.

"Do I look ready?" Zack shook his head while laughing. "I'm kind of having second thoughts about that but I won't give up before I even begin" Zack patter her knee and smiled softly.

"Good. He will work you really hard so you better prepare yourself mentally" She groaned again and fell on her back. It was so troublesome.


	5. Training

She was groggily walking towards the training room. She was silently praying that Sephiroth will have mercy and understand how hard was the training for the 3rd class SOLDIERs. She knew he wasn't going to kill her but he wasn't going to let her leave without a few broken ribs. When she arrived in front of the door, she started to have second thoughts. Her hand was shaking on the door knob and she wasn't sure if it was because of excitement or fear. With one last breath, she opened the door and closed her eyes tightly.

"Are you going to keep your eyes closed the entire day?" He asked calmly. She opened one eye to get a glimpse. The scenery was nice. He programmed the room to look exactly like a forest. He was standing in the middle of it. She walked towards him while staring in amazement at every tree. It was all very realistic.

"This look really nice" He raised an eyebrow bemusedly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was making her feel inferior from every aspect. She bit her lower lip and crossed her hands behind.

"You don't have to be shy. I'm not going to bite you" She titled her head to the side, like an innocent puppy.

"I'm not afraid you will bite me. I'm afraid you will make me think again about accepting your proposal" He chuckled and took a step closer to her. He turned his head to the side and pointed towards a tree.

"We won't fight today. Instead, I want you to learn how to control your energy. There are 8 trees around us, in a circle. We are exactly in the middle of this circle. On each tree, there is a target, smaller or larger. You have to use only your energy to hit the center of every target" Her eyes widened. That wasn't going to end up nicely for her. His eyes turned to her. He could see how worried she became suddenly.

"I don't know how to activate it. It doesn't have a button or something" He grabbed one of her arms, rather harshly, and pointed it at one of the trees. He tightened his grip on her arm, almost cutting the blood circulation. She cringed.

"Think about it. Think about something that makes you feel inferior" She tried. Sephiroth's presence was one good reason but he was her mentor. He was someone she admired, not felt disgusted or pressured. "Think about Genesis" Her head turned towards him inhumanly fast. His face was blank and his eyes were staring at the tree. She sighed and closed her eyes. Genesis was a person she didn't feel inferior to, but she could feel a lot of annoyance. He was a mysterious bastard who always kept a book in his pocket. That book, she wasn't curious what it contained, but he was quoting from it nonetheless. She could feel the energy slipping through her body and with every thought about Genesis, it was growing stronger.

Sephiroth smirked when he felt a tingling sensation coming from her hand. Her let it go and she hit the target without a problem, right in the middle. Not only that, she broke the whole tree.

"That was interesting" She opened her eyes and stared at her work. The tree was on the ground, still emitting sparks.

"Indeed. It is a good start but you have 7 more trees. That one was easy. Let's see how you will hit the others" He smirked and took a few steps behind her. He pressed a button on his phone and the trees started to move. Some of them were rapidly getting closer to her, some were getting further away. She rubbed her forehead and groaned. Of course it wasn't going to be easy.

After the training session with Sephiroth, Eloise walked straight to her room. She didn't need food or water. Everything she needed was a bed; a large and comfortable bed. Her back was hurting and her fingers were a little pale. She consumed a lot of energy throughout the whole session. Sephiroth was one hard coach and he didn't let her leave before she hit every target and destroyed the trees in the process.

Like always, she met Genesis at the elevator. She tried to glance subtly at him but Genesis's eyes moved on her in the moment she entered the picture.

"You're glowing" She had been taken aback by a lot of things Genesis said but now, it reached a whole new level. She blushed slightly, without realizing. Genesis smirked and took a step closer to her. Her eyes narrowed and she backed off. With every step closer, she was getting further and further away from him. That, until she hit the wall. Instead of an action taken from a movie, Genesis grabbed her arm and stuck it into her face. "Your hand is glowing blue"

Saying that Eloise started to feel embarrassed and blushed even more was an underestimation. She was blown away. Genesis raised an eyebrow bemusedly and chuckled.

"Don't get your expectations too high, newbie. Just because you have electricity running through your veins doesn't make you special" That sentence made no sense at all. She didn't understand what he was talking about. What expectations? About being a SOLDIER? She scowled and pushed the red head away harshly.

"I don't know what you're referring to and I don't think I want to. But, for your information, I won't change my principles. I have the right to hope and expect for whatever I want, no matter how improbable or not it may be" Genesis frowned, which was quite a new expression for him. He was ready to say something when someone else walked down the hall; someone who Genesis wasn't too happy to see.

"What are you doing with my protégée, Genesis?" His voice was so different than how it sounded a few hours earlier. Genesis's frown only deepened.

"Your protégé" He scoffed and trapped Eloise between his hands. "Will it turn differently in a few weeks?" His tone was ironic and it sent chills down her spine. It wasn't because she was scared, no, she was annoyed. She never realized how Genesis saw her. Now she knew. He saw her as a little girl who probably had a crush on Sephiroth.


	6. Monster

After the whole misunderstanding about Sephiroth and Eloise, Genesis went out. That little girl was infuriating and he didn't understand why Sephiroth took her under his wing. She was nothing but trouble and Genesis hated troublesome people.

He was aimlessly walking in the vicinity of the company building, thinking. Lately, his body was acting by its own. He had to go and talk to Hollander about the changing he was feeling.

"Aren't you taking this whole matter at another stage, Genesis?" The red head didn't need to turn around. He knew exactly who found him in the dark.

"What are you talking about, Angeal?" The brunette walked closer to his childhood friend and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"You're getting worked up over a young girl. Why are you over thinking the relationship between Sephiroth and his student? Let him help her improve" Genesis scoffed and shook his friend's arm off. He walked a few steps forward and raised his head to look at the sky.

"Do you know what her dream is?" He chuckled and shook his head. Just remembering and he was laughing. "She wants to become a hero, just like her brother. But she's not going to be one. Her dream is nothing but a struggle"

"Why is that?" Genesis frowned and glanced at his friend over his shoulder.

"Because no monster can become a hero" Angeal was getting more and more confused. "The energy running through her body is nothing but pure mako energy. That's why she can't control it. She glows because of it" Truthfully, when Genesis told Eloise that she was glowing, he was serious. She had a blue light emitting around her. He could see it because she probably used the energy in training.

"But her body had an allergic reaction to mako. Sephiroth told us that" Genesis nodded.

"Exactly. The doctor who did the surgery was Hollander. Why would one of the best Shinra scientists get so soft and help the newbie?" Angeal sighed. Genesis was right. There was something weird about that. Hollander wasn't the friendliest scientist around.

On the other side, Sephiroth was a little worried for his student. She was thinking deeply about Genesis's insinuation. That was why, after she entered her room, he followed her inside.

"I'm fine. The training wasn't that bad. I won't die" Sephiroth chuckled but didn't leave. He walked towards her bed and sat on the edge. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Or you can just stay. That's fine"

"What are you concerned about? Genesis?" Maybe if he wouldn't have raised an eyebrow and cross one leg over the other, she wouldn't have become flustered. But he did, and she blushed profoundly.

"He hates me. We've met for the past two days at the elevator and all he does is make me feel annoyed. Should I feel offended or not? I don't even know! He is so annoying and confusing!" Sephhiroth's eyes followed her pacing around the room. She must have felt a lot of pressure since she was so affected by Genesis's teasing.

"You don't have to pay attention to him. You are his new source of entertainment. He does it for his own amusement" His words weren't comforting at all. He was only saying the truth out loudly. She was nothing but a play toy for the red head.

"Exactly! I don't want to be his new toy. I want him to take me seriously. I am a SOLDIER too"

Sephiroth understood what it was all about. She entered Shinra Company because she wanted to be seen as more than a little girl. She wanted to be seen as an example, as a hero. But she lacked in one thing: respect. Her brother wasn't able to give her the kind of respect she wanted. She was craving for it. Genesis was the only one who saw that from the first time and used her weakness in his favor. That was why she felt so frustrated.

"I know. But he won't stop until you prove yourself to him"

"So all I have to do is beat his ass?" Sephiroth chuckled but nodded nonetheless.

That night, Eloise tried to sleep and relax her body. But she was so preoccupied by her future as a SOLDIER that she couldn't close one eye. She couldn't compete against her brother. Zack was an impressive fighter even if he looked like a dumb puppy. But nothing he or Sephiroth said would make her feel safe in her new position.

She ended up wandering around the Shinra building. She wasn't very tall and she was skinny. That was an advantage in case she had to run and hide. The building wasn't necessarily silent but it wasn't loud either. The echo was impressive but if you were inside a room, you weren't able to hear it. Somehow, Eloise ended up at the elevator again. She decided she wanted to see what was happening on lower levels. Therefore, she took the elevator to the 5th floor. She knew that the first floor was actually empty and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th were all accounting floors. From the 5th and up, it was all related to army.

The pattern was the same for the entire building. Every level had a large hall separating two sets of rooms. When the hall was ending, there was a room for either relax or training. There were rooms that no one knew where they lead to. One of them was on the 10th floor. It was made out of steal, unlike the others, and it looked like it was hiding something dangerous. She was ready to break the access code and get in, until someone grabbed her harshly by her wrist and turned her around.

"What do you think you are doing?" She titled her head to the side and bit her lower lip.

"I was looking for the bathroom?" The red head's angry gaze softened slightly. She had a lot of guts to tell him that excuse. "Curiosity never killed anyone" Genesis raised an eyebrow and let her go.

"That is strictly prohibited. It's Hojo's laboratory" She rubbed her wrist and ignored what he said. She didn't know who Hojo was and she wasn't going to care about him anyway. "Let's go before someone comes" He literary dragged her out of there. He let her go when the elevator started to move.

"Why are we in your room out of anywhere possible?"

After they entered the elevator, he did let her hand free but when they arrived on the 35th floor, he grabbed her once again and started to pull her towards an unknown place. She had never been on that floor before and had mixed thoughts. Firstly, it was nice to discover more of the building but being there with the redhead didn't really appeal to her. Secondly, there was no sound whatsoever in the halls so he was free to do whatever he wanted to her because no one would hear.

Thankfully, he didn't do anything. He pushed her inside his room and closed the door behind. No, he locked the door behind.

Her eyes traveled around every corner of his room. It looked like a teenager was living there, not a SOLDIER..

"Because you weren't going to go to your room. You're always looking for trouble" She scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

She was there, in his room, a girl in a room with a boy, alone, yet he didn't seem to care at all. He put his sword somewhere near his closet, in a place that looked to be specially made for it. Next, he started to undress himself. First was his jacket. He threw it on the bed. He was ready to grab onto his black shirt when Eloise shouted.

"Wait!" He stopped and glanced at her. He looked really tired and her simple presence was annoying. However, he was the one who dragged her into his room. It was his fault. "You shouldn't undress yourself so comfortably with me in here. I am a girl!" Genesis left eyebrow raised and his lips curved into a teasing smirk.

He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and started to raise it slowly. Her cheeks were getting redder with each part of his naked chest being shown. It was amusing. The shirt was already up to his neck when he decided to let it back down. Her face was as red as a strawberry. He chuckled and walked closer to her.

"That wasn't funny" She grumbled. For him, it was. "Didn't you think that I have a special relationship with Sephiroth? What if it was true? Huh?" Genesis's whole mood changed abruptly. His eyes hardened yet his face didn't show any different expression. That cocky smirk wasn't budging.

"There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds" She titled her head to the side and blinked.

"But the hero you are referring to is not beloved by the Goddess" His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Is that true?" He scowled and turned his back to her. He raised his hand to eye level and swayed it in front of his face. "Don't you want to become a hero, Eloise?"

It was quite a shock to hear him speak out her name. It sounded weird yet familiar. It was very strange but somehow, she liked it.

"I don't. I want to change the world but I don't care if I get to be an anonymous person. A hero is a hero with or without fame" He didn't respond for a while. He was probably thinking about her words.

"I heard you have been acquainted to Doctor Hollander" Eloise sighed and rubbed her forehead. Sephiroth told them something. "Do you know what is that glowing light emitting from your body?" She didn't know. That was a rhetorical question. He was going to answer in her place. "That is part of his experiment. Your body didn't accept the mako energy therefore you had to get rid of it. However, you have pure mako energy flowing through your body. Do you know how that is possible?"

"It isn't. My body refused it and that's final. Not even a scientist could make it work. I would die" Genesis started to laugh softly and glanced at her over his shoulder.

"There is one way you could live with it. Hollander conducted an experiment a few years ago. He injected a woman with Genova cells. That woman was Angeal's mother. But she wasn't the only one. I was part of that experiment as well" She gasped. "I was the failure while Angeal was the hope. My body is changing, growing weak. You are able to live because he infused Genova cells into your body as well" Her eyes widened and her mouth was agape. That new piece of information was overwhelming. Everything was moving too fast. There were too many things being thrown at her at once.

"But Hollander injected me when I was just a kid. I was barely an officer. Is that the reason why I got so far?" Genesis shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not. You have a piece of Genova in your body. Your body is changing too" She mortified by the sudden thought of dying. She was panicking inside her mind and that was obvious. Genesis walked closer to her and leaned to her level. "You have no chance to become a hero, Eloise. Monsters can't become heroes" She pushed him harshly, throwing him directly into the wall. She stared at her hands and saw her fingers emitting electricity. Her breathing became uneven and her pupils were moving wildly from one side to the other. She was sweating and her whole body started to tremble.

"I'm not a monster. I worked so hard for this. It cannot be in vain" Her eyes traveled to Genesis, who was steadying himself by leaning against the wall. She threw him pretty hard. "You're lying, aren't you? You see me as your play toy. You would say anything to make me weak. You want to see me break, don't you?" She was overreacting but she had a good reason for it. He told her something that may or may not change her life.

"That's what I wanted to believe, as well. But my body tells me otherwise"


	7. Alike

It took a few hours for Eloise to understand how much her life was going to change. Genesis was very calm and didn't seem to realize the position he put her in.

His eyes traveled to hers. They were blank. There was no emotion flowing through them, no fear and definitely no shame. She was still processing the information. He sighed and grabbed a hand through his hair. He didn't expect her to be so silent about it. He told her some unfortunate news and he practically called her a monster. That was not how everything was supposed to go.

"Are you going to stay silent the whole night?" She didn't budge. Her eyes remained blank. His eyes narrowed and he walked closer to her. He moved a hand in front of her face yet she didn't even blink. He stared at her for a few minutes and decided to let her be. He walked into the small kitchen counter and started to prepare tea.

"What do I do now?" Genesis raised an eyebrow. She sounded so innocent and vulnerable. Those two weren't parts of her personality. He heard her shuffle around. He glanced at her over his shoulder and realized that she moved on the bed. She was facing him and her eyes were staring deeply at him. Those blue eyes were intense.

"Nothing. We have to wait for Hollander to find a way to get it out of our bodies"

"After that fight between you, Angeal and Sephiroth, you got hurt, didn't you?" Genesis turned off the stove and turned to face her. "You are jealous of Sephiroth, aren't you? He is the perfect man, the one chosen to become a hero. On the other side, there are you" He raised an eyebrow. He was very curious where she was going with her new found theory.

"I could say the same words to you. There is Zack Fair, the puppy who follows Angeal around. Yet he improves fast and has big chances to reach the 1st Class" He placed his cup of tea on the nightstand and sat beside her. "And there is you, Eloise Fair. A kid who was lucky enough to reach SOLDIER as it is" Somehow, she didn't feel so bad. He was speaking the truth. She was still a beginner while Zack had years of training behind.

"Who were you before SOLDIER?" She was growing curious. Genesis was a person who must have had a lot of secrets. He was different than Angeal and Sephiroth; livelier. He was genuinely feeling the rush of adrenaline. Genesis was a little taken aback by her sudden interest.

"I was a simple boy who grew up in an ordinary environment" She furrowed her eyebrows in concentration and stared at him. He looked like there was nothing wrong with his body or his life in general.

"You are lying" Genesis didn't respond. "Is this your only lie or is something you got used to do in Shinra?"

She was quite an interesting girl. She manipulated the whole conversation so that their prior subject got somewhere in the back of their minds. She noticed how affected he was about the sudden change in his body and how much it meant for him to be seen as a normal SOLDIER. He wasn't normal, he wasn't a hero; he was seeing his own person as a monster. That was both sad and pitiful. She couldn't imagine how he felt but she could understand the need to become a hero.

"Aren't you so curious about unimportant matters?" She blinked. His personality wasn't going to change anytime soon. He was an annoying asshole until the very end.

"Were you the son of the landlord? Or a thief?" She wasn't a person who knew when to give up. She was probably the same in combat as well. He sighed tiredly and walked to his door. He unlocked it and opened it wide.

"You should go and rest for a few hours. Your training starts early in the morning" He was subtly telling her to leave. She complied without any commentary.

On the way to her room, she couldn't help but think about Genesis's past. He was careful about everything revolving his past and himself in general. He didn't look like someone who would get so defensive. Maybe she was prying into his life too much.

The next day seemed to go like a blur. She couldn't concentrate on her daily training and she got in trouble for being too cautious in combat. She was scared that she might electrocute someone.

Her mind was always going back to Genesis's words. She became uncertain. She had a lot of power but it wasn't genuine. Her power came from Genova cells and mako energy. She wasn't as strong as she originally thought. She was disappointed in herself.

With those kinds of thoughts in her mind, she was ready to go and live in solitude for the next few hours. Her plan got postponed when she saw Angeal. The brunette walked towards her and smiled softly.

"How is your training going?" He was obviously talking about Sephiroth. The 3rd class training wasn't very difficult. She shrugged. There was nothing to say. Sephiroth was going easy on her and preparing her to use her energy as a weapon.

"It's hard but I will survive" Angeal patted her head as an encouragement.

"How about Genesis?" She blinked innocently. Angeal chuckled under his breath. She looked exactly like Zack when he knew he got in trouble.

"What about Genesis?" She didn't tell anyone about her conversation about heroes and monsters. "There is nothing going on with him"

"He told me to never respond to your questions about him" Eloise kept her innocent face. Angeal was amused by her behavior. She was trying to get out of an embarrassing situation with a clear image. "Did you two talk about something?" She shook her head.

"E-LO-ISE!" Zack's voice echoed through the whole building. Thankfully, he did save her from Angeal's interrogation.

Angeal narrowed his eyes at his pupil. Zack's happy face appeared from around the corner and eyed his sister.

"Guess who's going on a mission tomorrow!" She rolled her eyes expectantly. "You!"

Well that was indeed a surprise. She thought he was going to brag about his new mission but instead, he announced hers. Her head shot quickly to Angeal, who looked worried.

"Does Sephiroth know about her mission?" Zack shrugged. He was too excited for his sister to think about her mentor. Angeal frowned. He was ready to call Sephiroth when the said man entered the lounge.

"I'm going on a mission" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. She wasn't as excited as her brother was. Actually, she frowned and sulked into her seat.

"I know" He patted her head in comfort. "It's not dangerous. You will be fine. But that won't excuse you from today's training" She groaned.

She had only two hours to relax and eat. Those two hours transformed suddenly into a conversation between Angeal and Zack. The younger SOLDIER rolled his eyes and pulled his sister closer. They were in the same building yet they had completely different schedules. They didn't have time to meet often.

Angeal started to tell his famous lecture, just in case she needed the advice. Sephiroth and Zack rolled their eyes. They were too accustomed to Angeal's lecture. It was always the same.

"Never forget about honor, Eloise. A hero is nothing without his honor" She nodded. She understood his point of view but Angeal didn't know about her. As a monster, did she have an honor at all?

In training, Sephiroth decided to teach her different fighting styles. She didn't have a sword so he concentrated on her hands alone. She was very good with different weapons but in combat, she needed more power.

Sephiroth beat her up twice until she got annoyed and used her energy to fight back. Surprisingly, the target training had been useful. She was able to hit Sephiroth and even scratch his forehead. However, his wounds were nothing compared to hers. She was seriously beaten up. She had scratches on her face and her body, and her hands were burnt. Her ego was slashed and her mind was fuzzy. She was done.

"Fucking asshole beat me before my mission" She was annoyed. Her mentor kicked her ass wonderfully without trying too much. She started to have second thoughts about her choice; big time.

"What happened to you newbie?" Genesis just found himself on that floor. He wasn't necessarily looking for her but he knew there were big chances for them to meet. When he noticed how bad she looked, he couldn't help but feel amused. She was finally realizing what she got herself into.

"I don't want to talk to you right now" Genesis chuckled and leaned against her doorframe.

"Why? Did you realize that you got so far because of Hollander?" She shot him a deadly glare. Her blue eyes were narrowed and her mouth was in a straight line. She wasn't amused at all. It felt even more offensive when someone else was voicing that hypothesis.

"I have a mission tomorrow, so please let me have at least one Genesis-less night" She grimaced and closed the door into his face. Genesis raised an eyebrow. He didn't walk away.

"Take care of you Eloise. You don't want to kill anyone in your mission, do you?" He took a step back when he heard something being thrown at the door. He chuckled and left for his room.

Unfortunately for the red head, Angeal was on the same level. He didn't have to eavesdrop to their conversation. They were talking normally and the hall had a good sound. He waited for Genesis to get to the elevator until he could talk to him.

"Aren't you taking the whole teasing process to a new level?" Genesis grabbed the book from his back pocket and opened it at a certain page. He decided he had every right to ignore Angeal for that assumption. The brunette didn't like his friend's silence at all. "She's just-"

"She is not a child anymore. She chose to become a SOLDIER. She entered a dangerous place knowing fully what she was getting into. I am just realistic"

"But she is not like us. She is only a kid. You should teach her instead of teasing her; just like Sephiroth" Genesis closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Thankfully, the elevator got on their level.

"You are wrong, my friend. She is very much like us; more than you can imagine" Angeal furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. There were many secrets that Genesis wasn't willing to tell him.


	8. Reno

The next day, really early in the morning, Zack took it upon himself to wake his sister up. The door to her room was unlocked so Zack had the possibility to enter I without a problem.

"Rise and shine! Today is going to be a wonderful day for you!" Eloise groaned and barely remembered what he meant. It was the day of her first mission as SOLDIER. Suddenly, the morning became brighter. She found enough confidence to get out of bed and shower. She walked out of the bathroom in only a towel. Zack was family and didn't care much about her growing feminine parts. She was the same young Eloise; forever and ever.

She dressed in her SOLDIER uniform and smiled contently. Unfortunately, she didn't have any sword to compliment the whole appearance. Her training sword was somewhere in the building and was used only in training. That was why Sephiroth decided to come by and give her a small present.

"This is a sword" She stated the obvious. "Are you sure is not for training?" Sephiroth shook his head and chuckled.

"Use it wisely or else I will double your training" Her eyes widened and she gulped. Training with him was hard enough as it was. She didn't need to suffer twice a day.

"Yes, sir!" Sephiroth's gaze softened and he patted her head. It became quite a habit. She was young and short, compared to him. She was very squish able from his eye level.

"Welcome to your first time in my office, young SOLDIERs"

Director Lazard was suspiciously in a very good mood. The first time Eloise met him was when she had to pass the test for the 3rd class. He was reluctant at first but she made quite an impression on him afterwards.

"You five young 3rd class SOLDIERs will go on your first mission under my watch. It's quite easy. What you have to do is retrieve an important document from our secret source in Nibelheim" The five SOLDIERs nodded and saluted. The four men walked out of the office while Lazard grabbed Eloise by her uniform.

"Yes, sir?" He smiled kindly at her and made a sign to follow him. She did as she was ordered. He took something out of a pile of files and gave it to her. "What's this?"

"Give this to the source. I trust that you won't read it. Also, that document has to be protected by any means, Eloise. It's very important for our cause" She blinked confusedly.

"What cause?" Lazard chuckled bemusedly. She was such a naïve young girl.

"Right now, our cause is to protect Shinra from AVALANCHE. Have you heard about them?" Eloise nodded. She had heard about a group of eco-terrorists opposing the actions of Shinra. "What are your thoughts about it?"

"Well, sir, I think they are right in some points. Shinra is drying the world from its Lifestream. But at the same time, I am grateful for Shinra's technology and innovations. It's all for a better life" Lazard's smile widened and he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"What a thoughtful young girl you are. I am glad you enrolled SOLDIER, Eloise Fair" Somehow, his words didn't sound like a compliment at all. It sounded more like a subtle threat. She wasn't sure what to believe and what to extract from his sentence.

"Are you ready, cadet?" After she exited Lazard's office, she frowned. She glanced at the two files she had in her hands and titled her head to the side. She became curious of what was written in there.

Zack was trying to be funny and make his sister feel confident. When he saw how worried she became, his eyes lost their playfulness and he hugged her.

"Are you alright, Eloise?" She squirmed into his arms and pushed him away.

"I'm not a kid anymore" She tidied up her uniform and her hair. Zack chuckled and leaned against the wall.

"You're younger than I am" She scoffed.

"Yes. With only a few years. It's not even that much" Zack rolled his eyes and punched her arm playfully. "I have to go. See you when I come back" She saluted her older brother and walked away.

"So, tell me again why that document is so important" One of Eloise's mates was an idiot. If he wasn't as strong as he claimed to be, he was perfect as a buffoon. Thankfully, the other two colleagues were more perceptive and more patient.

"Because it's important for Shinra. Don't you understand? We are Shinra's lackeys" Eloise rolled her eyes. They were going to have that bad Shinra discussion again.

"Weird. I thought Shinra's lackeys are the turks" The pilot scoffed and started to laugh.

"That's not nice, yo" Eloise's head shot towards the pilot and she hit the SOLDIER beside her. "We're more like his bodyguards"

"Isn't that the same thing but addressed in different ways?" That statement was meant for her ears only but the red head heard her perfectly. He glanced at her over his seat and winked.

"I didn't know SOLDIER hires girls too" She scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm Reno, yo" He winked again. It made Eloise blush slightly. He didn't seem to be older than she was. "Aren't you going to tell me your name?" She shrugged. In only a few long moves, Reno let his partner take control of the helicopter while he moved in the back. He sat in front of her, squishing the other two SOLDIERs into a corner. His eyes were wide and curious.

"Eloise Fair, 3rd class SOLDIER" She mumbled. She wasn't in the mood to meet flirty red heads.

"Fair. Why does that name sound familiar, yo?" She sighed and leaned back. "Oh, I know! Zack's family name is Fair, right? So, you are his sister?" She nodded. He seemed like a slow poke. His eyes enlightened with new emotions. He was very open about everything he was feeling.

"Are you going to wait for us in Nibelheim?" Reno shook his head.

"No. You will have to spend a night there. We, Shinra's lackeys, have another business to attend to later tonight" Eloise shot a glare to her mate who addressed so meanly to the turks. He scoffed and tried to look unaffected.

"What if there is an emergency?" Reno raised an eyebrow. "Just in case, I mean"

"If there is an emergency you can call us and we will come as fast as we can. Take my number, just in case" Eloise chuckled. He turned her words into his favor.


	9. Trap

A few hours later, Reno had to let Eloise go. He whined and tried to make her renounce to her original mission just to go with him but that didn't work well. She punched him really hard in the ribs.

"You are one hard woman to please, aren't you?" One of her colleagues asked. She chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"You have no idea" He laughed and started to gape at the village.

Except Gongaga, which was her hometown, Midgar was the only city she had been to. Being in Nibelheim, it felt new. The surroundings were different and the people were acting a bit different as well. The team decided to do whatever they wanted to as long as they will meet at a decent time at their cottage.

Eloise was used to wander new places all alone. But, that specific time, she felt like someone was watching her. Every corner she took, she felt like someone dangerous was waiting for her, ready to kill her. She didn't know why she was so paranoid. At one point, she felt like someone started to follow her. She started to panic and she glanced over her shoulder a few times, just to be sure.

While trying to escape from her own paranoid mind, she lost counts of how many streets she turned. In the end, she got lost. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. She jumped when she felt someone touch her arm.

"Are you lost?" Eloise's eyes widened and she glanced at the stranger. It was a girl with the biggest brown eyes Eloise had ever seen. She must have been around her age.

"No. I mean yes. I'm not sure" The stranger smiled friendly.

"I saw you walk in circle. You passed this street twice already" Eloise felt embarrassed. "It's alright. Where do you need to go? I'll show you" Eloise shrugged. She didn't have a place she needed to be at; at least not yet.

"A bar would be nice. I haven't eaten yet" The stranger nodded and she told Eloise to follow her.

The two girls walked in silence for a couple of minutes until the stranger started to talk.

"So you work for Shinra Company?" Eloise nodded. "Don't you know what they do to the Lifestream?" Her eyes narrowed.

"I do. But as long as the world doesn't suffer big changes, then I am content with my life" The other girl sighed.

"It will kill everyone at some point. SOLDIERs are dangerous. You should take care on whose side you are going to end up on" Eloise's mind started to move inhumanly fast. She had a lot of questions before but the number only increased after she discussed with Lazard.

"Do you know about AVALANCHE?" The girl's eyes widened and she stopped mid step.

"Uh. I just realized that I have something to do. Yes. If you walk a little bit more, you will find a place to eat. Good bye!" She ran quickly to the opposite direction. Eloise remained dumbstruck. She didn't say anything bad. It was just a question.

The day progressed slowly. When it was time to meet the rest, Eloise felt her feet heavy. It was definitely not her good day. She stared at her sword for a while. It looked beautiful even if it was simple. She couldn't help but smile when she remembered her mentor's good intentions. He was really handsome when he was smili-

"No, no. Bad thoughts, Eloise. Don't do what Genesis expects you to" She shook her head and tried to ignore her hormones.

The way to the cottage was eventful. She almost got lost for the second time that day and she almost got robbed. People weren't happy to see her. She deducted it was the uniform's fault. A lot of people didn't sympathize with Shinra.

"So, how was your day?" In the end, everyone met at the hour they planned. The guys were tired and smelled like alcohol. She rolled her eyes and excused herself. She went directly to her room and locked the door. She didn't want any funny business.

She showered and changed into a long shirt. It was still summer and the weather was very humid. She sighed heavily and jumped on the bed. While trying to get some sleep, she remembered about her discussion with Lazard.

"What is our cause exactly?" She turned on one side and stared at the drawer. She bit her lip and sat up. She was too curious for her own safety. She did exactly what her boss ordered not to. She took the file out and read it. At first, it didn't seem to be anything important but with every sentence read, she realized what was that file about.

"Project Jenova" She continued to read about the experiments and more. Genesis and Angeal were part of that project but they weren't the only ones. She was too. She knew that much. They have been all infused with Jenova cells. However, there was someone who was born from Jenova cells. An experiment that succeeded their expectations. There wasn't any name written. The source probably knew who that person was.

Around midnight, she woke up from her slumber due to a loud noise. She jumped off the bed and concentrated on her senses. There was no one in her room and nothing had been touched. She opened the drawer and sighed in relief when she saw the file untouched. She walked towards the window and watched for any weird movements. She caught sight of a shadow figure. It ran away when she noticed it. There was nothing she could do at that time. There was no evidence that someone entered her room either. She went back to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up worried. She had a tight knot in her stomach and couldn't eat anything. As the day progressed, the knot only got tighter. Something was going to happen; something bad.

"Are you sure you didn't eat something rotten yesterday?" Her mates were oblivious. They all had hangovers.

"Why did you drink so much if you knew you had to be fresh the next morning?" She couldn't understand their logic.

"Because God knows when we will have the chance to drink again. The rules at Shinra are very strict, Eloise" Like before, she couldn't understand their logic. It didn't seem like Shinra was as strict as they were insinuating. Genesis was always roaming the halls in search of trouble. Zack wasn't far from that point either. He even went to the slums.

"You guys are stupid" The guys rolled their eyes and ignored her.

When they arrived at the meeting place, they had 15 more minutes to spare. The guys started to look around, talking.

"Do you think it's a girl or a boy?" Eloise rolled her eyes and leaned against a tree. They were older than her yet they were so immature.

"I think it's a guy. I mean, the source is usually a guy, right Eloise?" She shrugged. That didn't matter for her. They waited for a whole hour and the source didn't make its appearance yet.

"Do you think we have been stood up?" One of the guys punched the one who expressed with such words.

"We're not on a date, Karr" The younger boy, Karr, shrugged. Eloise was slowly getting very worried. She grabbed her phone, as a measure. She knew that people weren't very fond of Shinra army men but they weren't stupid enough to fight them, right?

"This is wrong. It's too silent" Her eyes traveled over every tree and every bush. It was a clear place so there was nowhere an intruder could hide.

Suddenly, they heard noise coming from a few feet to the left. Eloise grabbed her sword and started to breath heavily. The rest of the guys did the same. Karr walked a little closer to that side and tried to catch a glimpse of what was coming. His eyes widened when he figured it wasn't anything human. He took a few steps back and froze. Eloise narrowed her eyes in order to see what was coming. She, too, took a few steps back in fear.

"Reno, we need you to come and take us as fast as you can. It's very urgent" She turned off her phone and put it in her pocket. "What is that?" She asked out loudly.

"I believe it's a summoning" One of them answered. She gulped. "I think we should run now, guys" They all looked at each other and nodded. They ran as fast as they could but they couldn't take that monster to the village.

"We have to fight it!" She shouted towards Karr. The boy bit his lip and grabbed his sword. They stopped running and faced the creatures. They were three and looked like they have been taken out of an action movie.

Karr was the first to attack one of the creatures. He launched at it as if it was a normal human. That was why the creature easily caught his sword and threw him away. He hit a tree but was still alive. She was ready to run to his aid when another creature ravished his body.

The color in Eloise's face drained. She got pale and her body started to tremble. She wasn't able to see clearly and she could hear her heartbeats loudly. She was scared. She closed her eyes tightly and thought about everything she learned. She could do it. She knew she could do it.

While trying to defend herself from one creature, she wanted to at least wound the other. The three remaining guys were all concentrated on one while she had to take care of the other two. That wasn't fair. She dodged multiple hits and jumped around like a toy. She had her hands full. She saw how one of the guys got burnt and couldn't move his leg anymore. She gritted her teeth and launched at that particular creature. She dodged its red hand and slipped between its legs; all four of them. Somehow, she managed to climb on its back and hit it continuously. The creature struggled, trying to throw Eloise off. It would have been possible for it to throw her if Eloise would have not stuck her sword in the back of the creature. Without realizing, while pushing the sword deeper into the flesh, she let her energy flow through her hands. The creature struggled for a few seconds until it fell down and disappeared.

She ran to her mates and helped the wounded guy up. The creatures growled loudly and started to shot fire from their mouths. She tried to dodge it but she got burnt. She winced when she felt the pain in her left arm.

"Sky, take care of Eloise while I help Matt!" Sky nodded and slipped a hand around Eloise's torso. She wasn't as wounded as Matt, but she did welcome the help.

They started to run, dodging and defending themselves. It was getting really hard. The wound in Matt's leg was bleeding profoundly.

"Where the fucks are you Reno?" She mumbled. She was out of breath. The pain in her hand was growing, even though it didn't look as bad as Matt's.

They heard Matt yell in pain and fall on his knees. Sky launched at one of the creature while Eloise and the other guy tried to defend Matt. A flash of light went past Eloise and she winced. She heard Sky groan and fall on the ground. They were helpless.

Eloise stopped and looked up at her mate.

"Take Matt and run as fast as you can to the center of the village. I already called Reno. He should come soon" He nodded and helped his friend up. He started to run without a glance behind. She ran to Sky's burnt body and helped him up. "Run" Sky shook his head. He had his own pride to defend. He was able to stand on his feet; therefore he was able to continue to fight.

"How did you kill the other one?" Eloise's eyes widened. That was it. Her hands were the perfect weapons. "You have a plan don't you?" She nodded.

"Try to slip through their feet and hit their back" He nodded. He launched at the closest creature and hit it several times. The other creature ran to Eloise. Her grip on the sword tightened and she closed her eyes. She breathed in and out slowly before she opened her eyes. Her orbs were shining brightly. She narrowed her eyes and launched at the creature. She hit it a few times and did exactly what she ordered Sky to do. They both climbed on their backs and pushed their swords deep into their flesh. Sky's creature squirmed and threw him into a tree. He fell pretty badly and became unconscious. Eloise's sword started to glow. She was losing control and she knew it. At least, it was for a good reason. She let the energy flood her body and she screamed. She shot energy from every part of her body. The creatures growled and fell on their faces. They disappeared but Eloise wasn't done. She shot energy into every direction and made a medium sized crater around her. After she got drained of power, she fell on her knees.

She waited for a few minutes until she regained her senses. She groggily walked towards Sky and slipped a hand around his torso. She had enough strength left to get him to the helicopter.

"Hey! Eloise! We're here, yo!" Matt was safely tucked into a blanket in the helicopter. Eloise was trembling. She was more than happy when Reno's bald partner grabbed Sky from her arms. She was breathing heavily and she looked really pale. "Hey, are you alright? Can you hear me, Eloise?" Without a word, she fell unconscious into Reno's hands.


	10. Puppy

The next time Eloise woke up was in hospital. She groaned and tried to hold her head. She had a strong headache. That was the price she had to pay for saving herself and her fellow SOLDIER mates.

"Eloise" The voice she heard after she regained conscious wasn't Zack's. Surprisingly, the only man in her room was the most annoying one. He was calmly standing on a chair, his red book on his lap. "You woke up"

"How long was I out?" Genesis stared blankly at her.

"For three days" Her eyes widened and she leaned back against the pillow.

He sighed and got on his feet. He walked closer to her bed and placed the book on the nearest drawer.

"You used too much energy. What happened in Nibelheim?" She rubbed her forehead and groaned.

"It was a trap. We had to take an important document from some secret source but it never came. We were attacked by three creatures. They were summoned there. Karr died, Sky and Matt were badly injured and I-"

"You're fine. The pure mako energy in your body already healed your arm" She swayed her arm around, inspecting it. She sighed. It was still not fair.

"I failed my first mission" Genesis raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to her.

"It was a trap. You didn't know how it will end. Those guys were lucky to have you there" She blinked for a few seconds. She just heard Genesis say something nice about her. "Tonight, after everyone leaves you alone, come to that lab you tried to sneak into"

"Why?" Genesis scowled.

"We have to talk to Hollander " That triggered something in her mind. She remembered the file she read. Hollander and Hojo were two of the scientists who worked on Jenova Project. It was time to unveil the mystery.

After Genesis left the hospital room, Eloise remained all alone. She didn't dare ask where the others were, afraid that they might magically appear on the spot.

She had enough time to think about Nibelheim. It wasn't only the summoning of three dangerous monsters that bothered her. The file about Jenova Project was still in her possession. They didn't meet the source so how was she supposed to keep it hidden? She didn't feel like giving it back to Lazard.

She blinked when she heard a knock on the door. She raised her head in time to see two mischevious green eyes. He smiled boyishly and entered without a problem.

"Good to see you awake. You scared me to death when you fainted into my arms" She rubbed her eye and chuckled.

"Sorry?" Reno smiled widely at his new friend and grabbed her hand. She blushed at the sudden contact.

"You know, maybe I can pull some strings and take you with me on the next mission" She blinked.

"Aren't you usually the connection pilot for SOLDIERs?" Reno nodded his head furiously. "I guess we will see each other a lot, anyway" Reno's smile widened even more.

For the remaining time, she listened to Reno's stories about his missions, the turks and Shinra's youngest son.

"He's a pest sometimes but he can be likeable. He has potential" Eloise tried not to laugh too loudly but Reno was making it impossible. He even impersonated his boss.

The fun ended when Sephiroth decided to pay her a visit. He had never heard Eloise have so much fun before. It sounded so happy and warm. He opened the door silently and walked in. She stopped after she noticed him.

"Sephiroth"

Reno glanced over his shoulder at the new visitor. He could feel the tension rising so he left. Of course, not before he reminded Eloise to call him if she wanted to have fun. Reno's offer sounded worse than he intentioned but Eloise laughed it off.

"I see you feel better already" She nodded.

"Where is everyone?" Sephiroth walked closer to her and checked her arm. It looked normal. The burning signs vanished.

"Angeal and Zack had to leave for an urgent mission. Genesis is in the simulation room, reading"

His eyes traveled to hers and stared into them. He could see the mako in her eyes even if she originally believed she had none. Her eyes were blue, exactly like Zack's. However, hers were a pale color while Zack's were clear and deep. Her eyes gave her a mysterious and cold aura.

"I see you made a new friend" Eloise chuckled and looked at her hands. His gaze was heavy and made her feel uncomfortable.

"Yes. It seems turks aren't that bad" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

He was curious what her view on the world was in general. It seemed she had a rare optimism regarding everything.

"What happened in Nibelheim?" She sighed. Everyone wanted to know the same thing. "What triggered the attention on you?"

"I guess people just don't like Shinra army men. That was all" Sephiroth could sense she was hiding something. She was fidgeting.

"That's not all, is it?" She raised her eyes shyly to her mentor and bit her lip.

"I think someone tried to sneak into my room. They failed but I heard something crash and I saw a shadow" Sephiroth's whole demeanor changed. His eyes weren't soft anymore and he straightened his pose. "I don't know who it was. I'm sorry"

Sephiroth's gaze softened after he noticed how depressed she became. He wasn't a master at showing his emotions but he tried to assure her that everything was going to be alright. He patted her head; again. She really started to feel like a puppy.


	11. Angst

Later that night, Eloise sneaked out of the hospital wing easily. Sadly, she was dressed in the hospital gown and had nothing on her feet. The floor was cold and it sent chills down her spine. It felt more like she was evading from an asylum.

Thankfully, the elevator moved quickly and she arrived at the lab in record time. There was no one around; no Genesis either. Since she didn't have the chance to enter the lab the last time, she had to take advantage of that opportunity. She walked closer to the metallic door and leaned closer to the lock. It was advanced technology. She needed a code and a retina examination. She sighed and leaned against the wall. Maybe it wasn't as easy as she originally thought.

"Are you trying to break in, again?" She jumped in surprise when she heard his voice. She turned to him and glared. He smirked cockily and walked past her. He sent a message and the door opened. For him, it was easy.

She was shy. That laboratory was creepy and cold. There were many machines working silently and there were definitely some people in tubs. She walked closer to one of them and tried to catch a glimpse of what was inside. She yelped when the tub moved. Scared and freaked out, she ran to Genesis. It was safer around him.

"Ah, Genesis"Hollander looked exactly like she remembered. She moved closer to Genesis when his eyes trailed to her. He smiled and that itself was freaking her out. "Eloise. I see you made it to SOLDIER"

"Should she thank you for that?" Hollander chuckled and walked towards a table. It had different solutions on it. There were papers scrawled over the whole table and tubs of different dimensions. It was very messy.

"She might" Eloise's eyes widened and the fear just disappeared. There were more important things she had to find out; like her chances to survive.

"You made me your experiment" Hollander scowled.

"Not exactly. I helped you improve faster, didn't I? Not everyone has such an opportunity"

"You made me a monster" She was young and she had mixed feelings. She was dangerous because she wasn't able to control herself all the time. "I am a killer"

"You are definitely not a killer. I injected mako energy into your body because I saw potential in it"

"What is that supposed to mean? I had 50% chances to die" Hollander nodded.

"But you didn't. You survived" He smiled out of nowhere and walked closer to her. He placed his arms on her shoulders and squeezed lightly. "I injected pure mako energy into you. Not many are able to survive. Moreover, you had an allergic reaction to it. That is rare"

"So what? Did you inject me with Jenova cells so that my body would be able to accept mako?" He nodded.

"I need our help. That's why I helped you in the first place" That was expected. She knew he wouldn't have given her such power for nothing. "I will help you as long as you help me"

"Isn't that more of a deal than anything?" He chuckled. "What do you want from me?"

"I need you to help me with Project G" She furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. "Your blood, I want it. You see, lately my experiment came to a halt. Not many people have Jenova cells in their bodies. Those who have it either die because their bodies can't accept it, either survives miraculously"

While Eloise was thinking about Hollander's deal, Genesis's vision darkened. Hollander was focused on getting something from the young puppy.

"It would benefit me if you would let me get a sample right now" Eloise's eyes widened. Hollander grabbed a syringe and a container off a table. She froze when she saw how long the needle was. She was ready to run and hide but Genesis's hand stopped her.

"It's alright. If you don't want to, you don't have to give it to him" She gulped.

"If she doesn't give me a sample, I won't give her a sere to stabilize the mako energy" Eloise's head bent in disappointment.

"That's not what we discussed about, Hollander" The scientist started to laugh and walked closer to Genesis.

"How are you feeling lately, Genesis?" The older SOLDIER glared at the scientist.

"My body is becoming weak" Hollander hummed and started to search for something in his pockets. When he found it, he smiled wickedly. It was a small tub with bright yellow substance in it.

"This should help. But Genesis, I am afraid that with the pollution of Shinra going on, you will get more and more affected" The redhead frowned. "Of course, if Eloise here would give us a sample of her blood, I might find a way to stabilize your condition as well" Eloise frowned.

"You're blackmailing me" Hollander scowled.

"Think about it as a way to save Genesis. You wouldn't want him to die, would you?" For a moment, that terrible thought didn't sound very bad. Genesis had never been very supportive to her. He dying didn't seem to make a difference.

"What are you going to do with her blood?" Hollander raised an eyebrow and turned his back on them. He walked towards a large blue tub and placed his hand on it.

"I'm going to continue my experiment, of course. The Jenova Project" Genesis's eyes narrowed. "Just because Project G didn't go smoothly doesn't mean Jenova Project failed as well" Eloise's eyes widened and she took a few steps back. If what she read in that file was right, the principle subject for Jenova Project was very much alive.

"This whole meeting took a wrong turn"

After Genesis had been called a failure, his whole behavior seemed to darken; both visibly and emotionally. His eyes kept their icy glare and his hands were in tight fists.

On the other side, Eloise felt empty. She was only another puppet for the scientist. She was lucky enough to survive the first set of tests and she gradually became an important part of his experiments.

She didn't know where to go or who to talk to. There was only one person who knew about her and he didn't seem available for the moment. She didn't have enough courage to go to her mentor because he was probably going to ask her details; details that she didn't know yet. Angeal didn't seem to know about his real purpose in Shinra and Zack didn't know on what planet he was, anyway.

"Are you going to talk to me about what you feel? Or do you want to fight? Something?" She wasn't going to give up anytime soon. Genesis was aware of that. She was a little persuasive pup.

Without speaking another word, Eloise followed Genesis around. He took the elevator and went to his room, first. He grabbed his rapier and took the elevator again. They ended up in the simulation room. It was different than the training room she had been in before. Firstly, it was larger and had a second level, where the whole machinery was. Genesis unlocked the room easily and turned on the computers. Once the simulation was activated, he jumped into the battle. Eloise remained upstairs, watching him fight with a behemoth. She sighed and leaned against the glass window.

It took Genesis almost three hours to calm down. He fought with six different creatures from the highest level. He got scratched, pushed around, hit and overly beaten up. He had thrown fire from his hands only to get burnt later on. But after he calmed down, mostly because he had no choice, he changed the simulation. At that point, Eloise walked downstairs and sat beside him.

"From the maniacal surrounding of a truly deranged man, you suddenly went to zen mode" He ignored her. "You need to talk about it"

"There is nothing to talk about, newbie. Now, excuse me, I want to read in silence"

"You never read in silence; at least not that book. You need to talk to people, Genesis" He opened his book and placed it in front of his face. He didn't want to see her face. It was annoying.

"I talk to Angeal and Sephiroth" She scoffed.

"No, you don't. There are a lot of things you keep for yourself" There was silence. "Did you tell Angeal about your condition?" Silence. "Did you tell him that he has the same condition as you?" Silence again. "You don-"

"Eloise, my life doesn't concern you. You should go and think about your own life" He was rude. She wasn't an adult, she was only a child; he said that. However, he was angry and she was pestering.

It didn't necessarily hurt her. She wasn't going to pout and leave that easily. Next to what she went through as an officer, Genesis's words meant nothing. She sighed heavily.

Since he wasn't going to cooperate, she decided to take the matters in her own hands. She grabbed the book from his hands and read the few first lines.

"Act IV. My friend, the fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains. The arrow has left, the bow of the goddess" She raised an eyebrow and continued. "My soul, corrupted by vengeance. Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey. In my own salvation. And your eternal slumber. Legend shall speak. Of sacrifice at world's end. The wind sails over the water's surface. Quietly, but surely"

She placed the book on her lap. She didn't know what he was thinking or how he was looking at her. She was staring at the sun. The simulation of a beautiful sunset in some random village was entrancing.

Genesis's eyes were constantly watching her. In some twisted way, he needed her; her blood more exactly. Her blood was going to stabilize or even neutralize his condition. He was growing weaker with each passing day.

"You know, when Hollander asked me for a blood sample, I got scared. When he told me I should give it to him because he gave me power, I felt disappointed in myself. But when he told me I have the chance to save you, I didn't need to think much. You're a narcissistic jerk who believes he has a higher level, as a human being, than the rest. I wasn't going to accept his deal. I wasn't going to save you because you didn't deserve it" She turned her head to him. "You don't deserve it"

"I don't need your blood" She blinked.

"I believe you do. I believe Hollander. When you work with humans, you never know how their bodies will react. Your body reacted badly while mine reacted well. Are you jealous?" Her sentence didn't make much sense for Genesis. He had no reasons to be jealous on her.

"No. I'm not jealous of anything" She raised an eyebrow and leaned on her elbows.

"What about Sephiroth?" Genesis's eyes shifted to the scenery. He didn't respond immediately.

"I'm not jealous of my friend"

"I don't believe you. I don't believe it when you say you don't need my blood and I certainly don't believe it when you say you're not jealous"

"Noble" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You asked me what kind of childhood I had. I was the son of the mayor. Angeal is my childhood friend. I always dreamt to become a hero and save the ones in need. I've been living with that dream until recently"

"Because you found out you had been experimented on" He sighed. "You believe you are a monster. But why did you make me one too?" He didn't respond. "Are you lonely, Genesis?" He glanced at her and got up. He grabbed his rapier and turned off the simulation. He left without another word.

"Definitely lonely" He left her alone. The room didn't look appealable anymore. It was cold and her butt was freezing. She forgot she was dressed in the hospital gown.

When she was getting up, she noticed the book Genesis used to carry around. He forgot it there.


End file.
